Recovery

Below is a listing of various resources and government mandated guidelines being made available to businesses in the Greater Akron area as Ohio turns its attention to recovery efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the situation continues to evolve, we anticipate that further government actions will likely impact this information, and so we will be working to update this page accordingly.

The new Responsible RestartOhio plan and its related guidelines do away with the existing Guidelines for Essential Businesses and Operations from the Ohio Department of Health. All businesses are now to follow the guidelines and information provided by the state through the Responsible RestartOhio plan and website. Summit County Public Health (SCPH) will still play a supporting role in enforcing these guidelines and are a resource to you as you return to work.

Guidance for Satisfying the PPE Needs of Non-Healthcare Businesses

FEMA published guidance to address how organizations in non-healthcare settings should consider and manage their personal protective equipment (PPE) needs while ensuring the protection of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes how to preserve limited supplies, how to consider needs during periods of shortages, and how to acquire and request PPE (i.e. in the face of critical shortages and whereas normal supply chain allocation cannot meet operational requirements).

Financial Relief

Below is a listing of Financial Relief Resources that are known to be available or will soon available to businesses in the Greater Akron area as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. As the situation continues to change rapidly, we anticipate that further legislative and regulatory assistance will likely become available, and we will continually update this page accordingly.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans

The. U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has expanded two loan programs meant to assist businesses that have been economically harmed by COVID-19. Companies may decide to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) or a 7(a) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. Below is an overview of both loans to help businesses decide which option best serves the needs of their business.

***Please note that as of Monday, April 26, 2020, applications for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program have reopened. This follows Congress's approval of an additional $310 billion for the PPP and $60 billion for the EIDL program. Further information on these programs can be found below.***

Paycheck Protection Program / SBA 7(a) Loan Program

The CARES Act created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through an expansion of the SBA 7(a) loan program. Congress has designed the program to make funds available to qualifying businesses quickly through approved SBA lenders. Click herefor FAQs on PPP loans, updated April 26, 2020.

Below are the eligibility criteria and details of the PPP loan program:

Employers are eligible if they have under 500 employees and are structured as partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations, associations, independent contractors, sole proprietors, gig-economy workers, self-employed, non-profit 501(c)(3), trusts, cooperatives, or joint ventures (for which there is no more than 49 percent participation by foreign business entities in the joint venture).

Additional employers are eligible if they have over 500 employees and are in an industry where the business is still considered a small business under the SBA’s size standards, found here.

Such entities will be eligible to apply if they were harmed by COVID-19 between February 15, 2020, and June 30, 2020. To establish harm, the business will need to be able to certify that the uncertainty of current economic conditions makes necessary the loan to support ongoing operations.

For businesses with a PPP loan under $2 million, the SBA will automatically consider your good-faith requirement to be certified.

Furthermore, the applying entities must have been operational by February 15, 2020, had payroll, and paid taxes.

This program provides a business with funding of up to 2.5 times the business’s monthly payroll expenses, or $10 million, whichever is less, during the one-year period prior to loan origination.

Eligible expenses include payroll, insurance, rent, mortgage and utilities. As part of the forgiveness process, the business must certify the loan was used for eligible expenses.

The loan has no collateral or personal guarantee requirements, it also does not require the business to prove it cannot get credit elsewhere.

All PPP loan funds not used for eligible purposes, as detailed above, enter into a 2-year loan agreement, 1%. Payments may be deferred for 6 months. Interest will accrue over this 6-month deferral period.

The loan amounts will be forgiven if:

The loan proceeds are used to cover payroll costs and most mortgage interest, rent, and utility costs over the next 8-week period after the loan is made; and

Employee compensation levels are maintained.

Note that payroll costs are capped at $100,000 on an annualized basis for each employee. Due to likely high subscription, it is anticipated that not more than 25% of the forgiven amount may be for non-payroll costs.

Please note that timelines related to individual applications and any resulting funding will vary. We encourage all applicants to actively communicate with their lender, as well as educate themselves on the available resources.

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) are low-interest loans designed to help small businesses harmed by COVID-19, with funding up to $2 million per applicant. EIDL applicants are further eligible for $10,000 grants that are typically made available within just three business days of applying.

Below are the eligibility criteria and details of the Economic Injury Loan & Grant Programs:

Eligible entities include small business having under 500 employees; certain non-profits; cooperatives and employee-owned businesses with no more than 500 employees; sole proprietorships (both those with and without employees); independent contractors; and tribal small businesses. Businesses with over 500 employees may still be eligible if they meet the SBA’s size standards, found here.

Any small business or private non-profit harmed by COVID-19 that completes an application for an EIDL can then request an Economic Injury Grant (EIG), which is an emergency advance of up to $10,000 ($1,000 per employee). This advance does not need to be repaid under any circumstance and may be used to keep employees on payroll, to pay for sick leave, meet increased production costs due to supply chain disruptions, or pay business obligations, including debts, rent, and mortgage payments.

Businesses must have been operational by 1/31/2020.

This program provides a business with funding of up to $2 million, with principal and interest deferment available for up to 4 years.

Permitted uses include: payment of fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, employee sick leave, and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact.

EIDLs have long-term repayment options, up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based on borrower's ability to repay.

The loan rates are 3.75% for small businesses and 2.75% for non-profits

Please be advised that due to heavy online traffic, visitors to these websites may experience significant delays. If possible, consider visiting the sites during off-peak hours. Additionally, please ensure that all questions that apply to your business on your application are filled in before submitting, to ensure consideration of our application.

For additional resources for EIDL application:

The Akron Small Business Development Centers (Akron SBDC) has advisors who are readily available to help navigate this process. They are available via telephone (330-375-2111) to answer or find answers to all questions regarding Small Businesses affected by COVID-19. While they are working remotely, they ask for your patience and leave a message with your name, business name, email (very important), and a phone number. One of their advisors will contact you as soon as possible.

The Greater Akron Chamber will be hosting multiple webinars on these loan opportunities with small groups of businesses. During these discussions, we will have key experts from various organizations from within the legal and accounting fields, the Akron SBDC, regional SBA Offices, and designated Chamber staff. If you are interested in participating in one of these seminars, please email covid19@greaterakronchamber.org.

Summit County COVID-19 Small Business Emergency Relief Grant Program

On May 11, 2020, Summit County authorized a second round of funding for the COVID-19 Small Business Emergency Relief Grant Program. The program, to be administered by the Greater Akron Chamber, will provide eligible businesses the opportunity to apply for grant funds from the program in order to assist those businesses with the financial impact of COVID-19.

Generally, the amount of the grant per business will be a maximum of $5,000 for businesses with two to thirty employees, and a maximum of $2,000 for businesses with less than two employees.

Eligibility for the grants will be tied to key criteria linked to supporting businesses that were viable prior to the pandemic, have been impacted by COVID-19, employ Summit County residents, and have the potential to continue to operate following the pandemic.

Applications will be submitted online to the Greater Akron Chamber, which will manage the application review and grant process. Given limited funds for distribution and our expectation of significant demand for those funds, the next round of applications will commence at 12 pm on Thursday, May 14, 2020, and run until 9 am Friday, May 22, 2020.

All complete applications submitted during that time, that are in compliance with the eligibility criteria set forth below, will be evaluated and scored utilizing criteria approved by the Grant Underwriting Team. The Grant Underwriting Team will approve awards to businesses based on scoring and available funds based on the fit and relative performance against the eligibility and additional grant criteria with the intention of awarding grants based on the following:

the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operation and success of the business;

the likelihood of the business’s future success;

the number of job opportunities preserved for Summit County businesses;

the location of the business and the business’s proximity to Summit County Job Hubs;

the contribution of the business to equity and the diversity of small businesses and small business owners in Summit County

The Greater Akron Chamber will announce the award of grant funds on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, and expects to begin distributing grant funds later that week.

All grants made under the Program are being made with the intention to provide immediate funding to small businesses to meet their business needs to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by required closures, to assist with the payment of costs where the business faces uncertainty as to its ability to pay due to the pandemic, to keep as many small businesses in Summit County as operating, ongoing concerns as possible, and to retain as many jobs for Summit County residents as possible in light of the severe economic hardships brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

All contributions of funds to the Program are made for the purpose of furthering economic development, preserving employment opportunities for Summit County residents, and preserving the operations of Summit County’s small businesses during a time of need and emergency. The primary objective of the Program is to minimize long-term economic hardship to Summit County residents that may result from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 30, 2020, Summit County created the COVID-19 Small Business Emergency Relief Grant Program. The program, to be administered by the Greater Akron Chamber, will provide $5,000 grants to eligible small businesses. For more information, click here.

The initial application period for the Summit County COVID-19 Small Business Emergency Relief Grant Program was 12:00 pm Tuesday, April 7, 2020, through 9:00 am Monday, April 13, 2020. However, we welcome you to complete the application even after the initial application period has closed; we will keep your completed application on file in the event that additional funding for this program becomes available.

To be eligible, a small business must be for-profit, have its principal place of business located in Summit County, and employ between three and twenty-five employees (for at least 20 hours per week) – at least half of whom must be Summit County residents. Additionally, the small business must apply for an SBA loan through a program established to support small businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (more information on SBA loans can be found above). Businesses approved for an SBA loan and that also meet the county’s program guidelines will be automatically approved; businesses denied an SBA loan may still be approved for a grant.

Grant program administrators are conducting the review process on the initial round of applications during the week of April 13, 2020; awardees will be finalized the week of April 20, 2020. For more information, please contact COVIDgrant@greaterakronchamber.org. This grant fund is accepting contributions to increase our capacity to help small businesses make it through this difficult time. If you are interested in contributing to this grant fund, please contact Steve Millard, President & CEO of Greater Akron Chamber, at smillard@greaterakronchamber.org.

Ohio Minority Micro-Enterprise Grant Program

Many Ohio small, minority- and women-owned businesses have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ohio Minority Micro-Enterprise Grant Program provides $10,000 in funding to help these companies through the current crisis and set them up for the future.

To be eligible, businesses must have been certified as a Minority Business Enterprise or woman-owned EDGE-certified business as of Feb. 29, 2020; have 10 or fewer employees and up to $500,000 in annual revenue; and have not received funding under the federal CARES Act.

To qualify, businesses must be current on all taxes and private or public loans. Grants will be awarded on first-come, first-served basis.

Federal Reserve Main Street Lending Program

The Federal Reserve has established the Main Street Lending Program (Program) to support lending to small and medium-sized businesses that were in sound financial condition before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Program will operate through three facilities: the Main Street New Loan Facility (MSNLF), the Main Street Priority Loan Facility (MSPLF), and the Main Street Expanded Loan Facility (MSELF).

More information on how to apply and eligibility requirements can be found here. Term sheets for each facility and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) providing more information regarding eligibility and conditions can be found below.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation - Save Small Business Fund

The U.S. Chamber Foundation’s "Save Small Business Fund" is a program that offers one-time, $5,000 grants to provide short-term relief for employers across the United States. To qualify, your business must employ between 3 and 20 people, be located in an economically vulnerable community, and have been financially harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. When applying, all you need on-hand is your business’s most recent W-9 form. The application is short and only takes about ten minutes to complete. Grants will be awarded on a weekly basis and you need only apply one time to secure your spot “in line.”

***Due to the overwhelming response from businesses across the nation, this grant program is not accepting additional applications at this time. Please look for updates on additional funding that may be made available in the future.***

Honeycomb Crowdfunded Small Business Relief Loans

Honeycomb Credit is a debt crowdfunding platform that allows small businesses the opportunity to borrow directly from their community, including friends, family and loyal customers. To help deliver the working capital that businesses need, Honeycomb is offering 45-day payment free periods, 6-month interest-only periods and reducing posting, success, and investor fees. They are working to connect businesses with local investors as quickly as possible. Further information on these loans can be found here.

Salesforce Care Small Business Grants

As part of Salesforce’s commitment to small businesses and giving back to the community, Salesforce is offering eligible small businesses the opportunity to receive a $10,000 grant to help them through the COVID-19 outbreak. The application process is live.

To be eligible to apply, companies must:

Be a for-profit company

Have between 2 to 50 employees

Have been in business for 2 full years as of March 2020

Have an annual revenue between $250k and $2M

Have experienced challenges from COVID-19

Meet all other eligibility requirements as stated in the Grant Program Terms linked here.

Additional program requirements, guidelines and all other pertinent grant application information can be found here.

HFLA of Northeast Ohio Small Business Loans

HFLA of Northeast Ohio, with the support of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, is offering loans of up to $5,000 to support small businesses. These loans can be used for payroll, rent, and other expenses. To be eligible, business owners should have been in business for a minimum of 12 months and will need to meet with an HFLA business loan volunteer to discuss how COVID-19 has affected them, their plans for recovery, and to check in periodically for support. Any business owner with more than 20% ownership will guarantee the loan. Find the application form here.

Paid Sick Leave & Family Medical Leave (FMLA)

The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a requirement of all employers with fewer than 500 employees to distribute to all of their employees an informational notice about paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19, found here. Employers may satisfy this requirement by emailing or direct mailing this notice to their employees, or posting it on an internal or external employee information website. For additional guidance from the DOL on new employer requirements from the FFCRA, click here.

On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This law requires all public employers and private employers with less than 500 employees to provide emergency paid sick leave in certain circumstances and extended paid caregiver leave to employees who are absent from work for reasons related to the coronavirus. The law will go into effect on April 2, 2020, and will expire on December 31, 2020. This alertsummarizes the major requirements of the law relating to employers. The law provides employers with a refundable tax credit for benefits paid up to the caps set forth therein. A tax credit is also available for qualified health plan expenses.

The CARES Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, alters the FFCRA provisions as follows. Paid family medical leave under FFCRA is capped at $200 per day, and $10,000 in aggregate. Paid sick leave under FFCRA is capped at $511 per day and $5,110 in aggregate; this amount drops to $200 per day and $2,000 in aggregate for sick leave when taken to care for a family member or because of a school disclosure. Workers who are laid off after March 1, 2020, but then are rehired are eligible for paid FMLA leave. Employers can keep money they would have deposited for payroll taxes in anticipation of refunds from the Treasury for paid sick and paid FMLA leave provided to employees, including amounts that would have been refunded.

SharedWork Ohio

SharedWork Ohio is a voluntary layoff aversion program. It allows workers to remain employed and employers to retain trained staff during times of reduced business activity. Under a SharedWork Ohio plan, the participating employer reduces affected employees’ hours in a uniform manner. The participating employee works the reduced hours each week, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) provides eligible individuals an unemployment insurance benefit proportionate to their reduced hours. Interested employers provide ODJFS with a list of participating employees and specify their normal weekly hours of work, not to exceed 40 hours and not including overtime. Part-time employees may be eligible, but all employees in an affected unit must have their hours reduced by the same reduction percentage. Reduction percentages must be at least 10 percent but no more than 50 percent of the normal weekly hours of work. For more information, go to: http://jfs.ohio.gov/ouio/SharedWorkOhio/index.stm

Unemployment Insurance

Find the latest updates and resources on the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services' Employer Resource Hub for coronavirus and unemployment insurance benefits.

Changes to Unemployment Programs

Under the CARES Act, unemployment insurance benefits are being extended by 13 weeks, and a flat $600 per week increase is added to each recipient’s benefit amount for a four-month period. Additionally, unemployment insurance benefits have been extended to those typically not eligible for such benefits, including but not limited to self-employed workers, independent contractors, freelancers, workers seeking part-time work, and workers without a long-enough work history to typically qualify.

Starting Friday, April 24, 2020, coronavirus-affected unemployed Ohioans who don't qualify for regular unemployment benefits can begin applying for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) here. For a complete overview of the program and to review the expanded eligibility criteria, please click here.

Unemployment Insurance Charges

The State of Ohio has modified eligibility for employees who lose their jobs as a result of a coronavirus-related shut down in order to provide benefits more efficiently to those impacted. For employers, the State has indicated that the State is allowing allows unemployment benefit charges to be mutualized for contributory employers. In addition, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will waive penalties for late reporting and payments during Ohio's emergency declaration period. For more information about unemployment insurance charges, please go to: http://jfs.ohio.gov/ouio/CoronavirusAndUI.stm

Additionally, for employers forced to layoff employees as a result of the epidemic, Ohio has provided a common WARN number to speed the processing of unemployment benefits. The common WARN number is 2000180. For more information on WARN, click here.

Banking & Insurance Relief Programs

The Ohio Bankers League is compiling a list of payment deferral programs, fee waivers, and other relief measures, for both consumer and business clients. Details on these relief measures, including contact information for each institution, can be found here.

Many insurance carriers have announced their assistance in modifying premium payment terms, including introducing grace periods, new cancellation terms, waived late fees, and more. Click hereto find a list of such programs offered by various insurance carriers.

Worker's Compensation

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) has announced that insurance premium installment payments due for March, April and May for the current policy year may be deferred until June 1, 2020, at which time the matter will be reconsidered. This is for both public and private employers. Additionally, the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation will not lapse (cancel) coverage or assess penalties for amounts not paid because of the COVID-19 epidemic. For additional information regarding changes to the Bureau of Worker’s Compensation policy due to the COVID-19 epidemic, please click here. For FAQs from the Bureau of Worker's Compensation, updated 4/8/2020, click here.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has asked the BWC to send up to $1.6 billion to Ohio employers to ease the economic impact of COVID-19. This dividend amount roughly equals the total amount employers paid in 2018 premiums, and checks are slated to be mailed to employers in April. For more information, click here.

Liquor Buyback Program

For bars and restaurants that have been required to close because of the epidemic, the Ohio Department of Commerce is offering a one-time liquor buyback option. This will especially aid those establishments that stocked up on high-proof liquor ahead of the St. Patrick's Day holiday for which they now have no use, due to their closure to in-house patrons. Bars and restaurants wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should return their unopened, high-proof liquor products (obtained within the past 30 days) to the agency where they purchased the product. This opportunity is also extended to those with temporary (F2) permits for events scheduled between March 12 and April 6, 2020. If a business has questions about this program, they should reach out directly to the Liquor Enterprise Service Center (LESC) at 1(877)812-0013 or by emailing OhioLiquorInfo@Com.Ohio.gov.

Extension to Filing Taxes

Other Resources

Below is a listing of Additional Relief Resources that are available to businesses in the Greater Akron area as we navigate the COVID-19 epidemic. We will continue to update this page as additional resources become available or are imminent.

HR and Other Administration Considerations

These Society for Human Resource Management resourcesthat may be useful during the pandemic, such as templates for memos, work-from-home and travel policies, and protocols for health screening. Additional such resources may be found through ERC.

Hiring Opportunities

While this is a difficult time for many businesses, we understand that some of our employers are actively hiring at this time. If you have positions that you are looking to fill, we strongly encourage you to post these opportunities through OhioMeansJobs Summit County at www.summitomj.org, where we are compiling immediate hiring opportunities. For more information, please contact Nick Kapusinski at nicholas.kapusinski@summitomj.org, or at (330) 630-4604.

Haulers – The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is issuing a special blanket permit for haulers carrying oversized loads of food, non-alcoholic beverages, medical supplies, cleaning products, and other household goods. For more information, click here.

Faith Community – for detail on how churches can apply for SBA loans and other COVID-related resources, click here.

Hotels, Hospitality, and Community Partners – visit www.akronrebound.comfor more information on the new initiative created for Akron/Summit County hospitality industry partners, community stakeholders, and local/regional residents.

Talent/Workforce Strategies – ConxusNEO supports employers to develop innovative strategies that fill open positions and build a talent pipeline. Industry-specific resources are available for manufacturing, healthcare, and tech talent. Support to fill other high-demand positions in food supply chain and logistics is also available. For more information, click here.

Greater Akron Community Updates

On Tuesday, March 24, 2020, the Greater Akron Chamber hosted a virtual meeting with regional health care leaders and elected officials, to share updates and guidance on the ongoing pandemic, to field questions on how manufacturers and other businesses can help, and what we might expect in the days to come. Watch a recording of the meeting hereand see Q&A content here.

On Tuesday, March 31, 2020, the Greater Akron Chamber hosted a virtual meeting with regional health care leaders, state agencies, and elected officials to share updates and guidance on the ongoing pandemic, share new developments, and to field questions on how recent legislation will expand economic resources to businesses and individuals. Watch a recording of the meeting here, and view the presentation slides here.

On this Makers’ Exchange, search for the organizations that responded to the plea for PPE. And get in touch to see if a match can be made between what you need or offer – to keep the essential products flowing to stem COVID-19.

In an effort to help small to mid-size companies comply with newly established health and safety guidelines, the Medina County Economic Development Corporation, Portage Development Board and Greater Akron Chamber partnered with both MAGNET and Team NEO to identify companies in the Tri-County Region having access to the PPE supply chain. Please click hereto access companies in Medina, Portage and Summit Counties selling PPE items such as face shields, gloves, hand sanitizer, masks, protective barriers, thermometers and wipes via their regional/national network.

Also, click herefor cleaning companies in Northeast Ohio that are following CDC guidelines with regard to COVID-19 and are working with both commercial and industrial clients to make workplaces safe for customers, employees and visitors.

While not exhaustive, these lists are an initial attempt to provide small to mid-size companies with local options for their PPE needs. If you are aware of additional companies in Medina, Portage or Summit Counties providing PPE, please feel free to contact Gregg Cramer at gcramer@greaterakronchamber.org.

Summit County Public Health – Request for Donations of Styrofoam Containers

As the COVID-19 situation in Summit County continues to evolve, our community is preparing to ramp up testing capabilities/capacity. In order to ship the testing specimens to the labs, Summit County Public Health is in need of Styrofoam shipping containers at least 12”X12” and no larger than the size of a home cooler. If your company has Styrofoam containers to donate please drop them off between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm (Monday-Friday) at 1867 West Market Street in Akron. We appreciate the business community’s support in the collection of this greatly needed item as we collectively work to stop the spread of COVID-19.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to coordinate the drop off of your donation, please feel free to contact the Summit County Public Health at 330-926-5795.

CareWorks Comp is acutely aware that the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) is an escalating global health concern. In light of this, clients will need their support more than ever in meeting the needs of their employees. CareWorks Comp also recognizes that a widespread outbreak could place increased demands on their capacity to meet those needs. They are fully committed to maintaining all services critical to the welfare of their clients and their employees.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and in order to provide the most timely and thorough information to all of their clients, they have included both public and private employer updates in one newsletter. Please note that some of this information will not apply to you if you are a public employer.